Review: Supernatural, Season 7, Ep. 702 “Hello, Cruel World”

Air Date: Friday, September 30, 2011 9/8c on The CW

Rating [rating=4]

Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Bobby (Jim Beavers) are on the floor after Castiel (Misha Collins), who’s being possessed by an unknown number of Leviathans, tosses them around like rag dolls. But Castiel’s body, or “vessel,” as they call it, is too weak to be useful any longer. As Castiel walks over to the municipal water supply, the Leviathans disperse themselves into the murky depths of the town’s drinking water, leaving only the remnant of Dean’s best friend behind—his tattered trench coat. Collins is excellent as he convincingly transitions from an Angel of God and a friend to Dean, Bobby, and Sam (Jared Padalecki), morphing into a crazed, psychotic looking menace. It’s frightening how good he is.

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester

“Hello, Cruel World” is filled with complex story lines so you really have to pay attention. If you’ve never watched Supernatural before (because this show isn’t for everyone), there are elements that will completely confuse you but overall, you’ll get the idea of what the episode is trying to convey. Leviathans = supernaturally strong, nasty bad things that eat people; Sam is having trouble deciding what’s reality and what isn’t; Dean is in denial (as usual) of his emotions; and Bobby is the rock everyone seems to lean on.

Tons of dark humor and symbolisms abound but the main one is associating pain with being in reality. If you feel pain – you must still be alive/be real. People say it all the time, “Pinch me,” to prove they are awake/alive. Can Dean convince Sam he’s no longer in the cage? Grab a fluffy pillow and keep a happy feel-good movie at the ready because even for a person like me who has a deep penchant for the supernatural and paranormal, “Hello, Cruel World” is filled with darkness. (Squeezes my fluffy pillow).

While The Doobie Brothers’ “Black Water” plays you see various people around town using the water supply – a group of scantily clad women hosting a car wash; a woman filling up a pitcher of water in her kitchen; and a little girl drinking from a public fountain – and you wonder who the Leviathans will claim to inhabit

Unfortunately for one of the Leviathans, it inadvertently inhabits the body of the little girl (Olivia Steele-Falconer). Before I continue, how cool is her name? Steele-Falconer! I digress. When a fellow Leviathan, who’s inhabited the body of Edgar (Benito Martinez), helps the little girl find a new host body in the form of a local doctor, Dr. Gains (Cameron Bancroft), who works at Sioux Falls General Hospital, they discover they can feed on the patients without drawing too much attention. But they don’t count on Sheriff Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes) being a patient there. After her appendectomy, she’s bunked with an annoying elderly roommate, Mrs. Hackett (Patti Allan), but when Dr. Gains takes Mrs. Hackett out of the room in the middle of the night, Jody becomes suspicious and follows him like she’s in a Scooby-Doo mystery. Too bad she doesn’t have Shag or Scooby with her because after what she sees, she’ll need some back up. Luckily, she has Bobby on speed dial.

Sam (Jared Padalecki) isn't sure if Dean (Jensen Ackles) is actually Dean

Meanwhile Sam is battling frightening hallucinations. He’s not sure what’s real anymore as Lucifer/Satan/The Devil (Mark Pellegrino) wreaks havoc on the broken wall inside Sam’s head. I love the sci-fi movie and television references writers incorporate into the dialogue.

Dean: “Why would the Devil holodeck  you a whole new life when he can just kick your ass all over the cage?”

Sam: “’Cause, as he put it, (Sam and Lucifer speak in unison) you can’t torture someone who has nothing left for you to take away.”

Lucifer (only visible to Sam): “Very good, Sam (winks).”

Dean (confused): “Ok, fine, but this Malibu dream mansion that he, he, he makes for you, to take away, is this post-apocalyptic mess?”

Bobby (Jim Beaver) thinks Dean (Jensen Ackles) maybe bottling up his emotions

So who is real? Is Sam really still in the cage? If so, is his only way out, as Lucifer suggests, suicide? By the way, Pellegrino is masterful at playing characters with a creepy sinister edge. I know Sam is dealing with some crazy shit right now but I don’t think Dean is faring too well either. I think Bobby makes excellent points when Dean gets all hypocritical of Sam’s current condition as if he’s never been in Sam’s shoes before.

Bobby: “How are you?”

Dean: “Who cares? Don’t you think our mailbox is a little full right now? I’m fine.”

Bobby: “Right…and weren’t you pissed at him when he said the same thing just a couple hours before he spilled his marbles all over the floor?”

Dean: “Yeah, well, I’m not Sam. Ok. (Like we’ve never heard that before) I keep my marbles in a lead friggin’ box. I’m fine, really.” (Which translates into he’s not fine.)

Bobby: “Of course, yeah…just lost one of the best friends you’ve ever had, your brother is in the bell jar, and purgatory’s most wanted for surfing the sewer lines…but yeah, yeah, I get it, right. You’re…you’re fine.”

Dean (cautious): “Good.”

Bobby: “’Course, if, at any time you want and decide that’s utter horse crap, well, I’ll be where I always am – right here.”

Dean: “What? You wanna do couples yoga or you want to get back to huntin’ the big bads?”

Bobby: “Shut up. Id-jut (idiot).”

Lines you should say to your friends or in general conversation for shits-n-giggles:

• Bobby to Sam, after he gets a frantic call from Sherriff Mills: “Either Sheriff Mills is having an Obama-care insured opium dream or something’s eatin’ folks down at Sioux Falls General Hospital.”
• Mrs. Hatchett to Sheriff Mills after receiving a check-up on her appendectomy from Dr. Gains “Charming, isn’t he. Did you know a study showed three-quarters of doctors cheat on their exams? He might not know your appendix from your vagina.” (scary thought)
• Lucifer (as Dean) to Sam: “I know, you’re bonkers, but luckily I just need you to keep the engine running and wait by the back door. Just don’t…uh, don’t let Satan change my presets. Let’s go.”

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